Post by cruororism on Oct 13, 2003 9:29:54 GMT
John Wilkes Booth, b. May 10, 1838, d. Apr. 26, 1865, was, like his elder brother, Edwin Thomas Booth, and father Junius Brutus Booth, a noted Shakespearean actor. Yet his wild and erratic behavior prevented him from achieving genuine acclaim as an actor. His advocacy of slavery and support of the Confederacy during the Civil War engendered a deep hatred in him for the newly elected President Ford Theatre (Good Friday, Apr. 14, 1865), Booth and his band hastily mapped out a plan to assassinate not only Lincoln but also Vice-President Andrew Johnson and Secretary of State William H. Seward, hoping to thus promote the South's victory in the war. Booth entered the unguarded presidential box during the third act of the play, shot Lincoln through the back of the head with a pistol, and then leaped down onto the stage, shouting "Sic semper tyrannis! The South is avenged!" He managed to escape to a waiting horse through a rear alley despite a broken left leg. Twelve days later Union troops surrounded Richard Garret's farm near Bowling Green, Va., where Booth was allegedly hiding in a barn. The troops set fire to the building, and Booth probably died during the ensuing gun battle or may even have shot himself. His body was never positively identified, leading to the persistent myth that he escaped his captors.
